Watermelon Jelly (in Sicilian dialect “gelu di muluni”), one of the oldest specialties of Sicilian pastry, traditionally prepared especially on the night of Ferragosto. It is a delicate and fresh spoon dessert ideal for the summer season and very easy to make. The only thing that requires a bit of time and patience is removing the watermelon seeds, but once done, it only takes a few minutes on the stove to prepare this delight.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 5 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients for the Watermelon Jelly
- 1.1 lbs watermelon flesh (already peeled)
- 1/3 cup sugar (the amount of sugar varies depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 3 pinches ground cinnamon
- to taste chopped pistachios
Recommended Tools
- Blender
- Molds for puddings
Preparation of WATERMELON JELLY
Cut the watermelon flesh into pieces and, with patience and using the tip of a small knife, remove all the seeds. Work over a plate and finally sieve the seeds with a fine mesh strainer to recover the juice that fell with the seeds.
Blend the watermelon flesh to obtain a rather liquid puree. You can use a classic blender or an immersion blender.
Sift the cornstarch into a saucepan; add the sugar and 2 – 3 pinches of cinnamon. Add the blended watermelon and mix well with a whisk to avoid lumps.
Transfer the saucepan to the stove and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring continuously. Cook until the mixture reaches the consistency of a béchamel sauce. It will take about 6 – 7 minutes.
Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into 4 pudding molds (or a large mold of about 500 ml); level the surface and let it cool, then cover the molds and chill the jelly in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours.
When serving, invert the molds onto plates to release the watermelon jelly and garnish with a few pinches of chopped pistachios.
Notes
If you don’t like cinnamon, you can omit it.
You can replace pistachio chips with chocolate shavings.
If you don’t have pudding molds, you can use bowls and serve the jelly without unmolding it.
If you liked this recipe, you might also be interested in other Sicilian recipes such as Mulberry Granita or Sesame Cookies (Biscotti ca ciciulena) or Pasta del Principe.
